Method and device for cooling a layer of bulk material on a conveyor grate

Abstract

A conveyor grate for the transport and cooling of bulk material, for example cement clinker, comprises a grate floor having multiple planks (12), adjacently situated transverse to the direction of transport on associated support structures and operationally moved longitudinally relative to one another individually or in groups, with moving gaps (14) designed as blow openings situated therebetween, and a method for operating such a conveyor grate. The mutually facing side edges or side edge regions of two adjacent planks (12) form two complementary, mutually engaging profiles between which the moving gap (14) is formed. In the method according to the invention, at least a quantity of the cooling air is blown through the moving gaps (14) which is sufficient to blow the moving gaps (14) completely open.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2007 019 530.5-24 filed on Apr. 25, 2007, which is fully incorporated herein.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0002]Not Applicable[0003]1. Technical Field[0004]The invention relates to a method and a device for cooling a layer of bulk material resting on a conveyor grate by means of cooling air blown through the grate floor, the grate floor being formed by multiple planks adjacently positioned transverse to the direction of transport and longitudinally moved relative to one another, with moving gaps situated therebetween which allow cooling air to pass through.[0005]2. Description of the Background Art[0006]Conveyor grates of the type described above have been implemented in various designs. The planks with the bulk material resting thereon are moved back and forth, individually or as a group, according to a specified motion pattern in such a way that a n...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The object of the invention is to provide a conveyor grate, having a simple design and which may be easily manufactured and installed, and which allows the moving gap and thus also the planks to have a narrow design compared to the known approaches according to the prior art, so that the quantity of bulk material which does not take part in the transport or which remains after emptying of the conveyor grate is minimized, thereby improving the degree of emptying.

[0012]A further object of the invention is to provide a method for cooling bulk material in such a way that frictional losses in the moving gap are avoided, thereby improving the drive efficiency.

Problems solved by technology

A special design problem is posed by the moving gaps between the planks moved relative to one another, which must be designed in such a way that they prevent material from falling through.

A disadvantage of the known design is that the moving gaps are relatively wide due to the labyrinth structures provided therein, thus forming bulk material pathways which are not ventilated through the labyrinth structures and do not take part in the transport process, thereby impairing the transport efficiency of the conveyor grate.

A further disadvantage of the known conveyor grate is that the drive power required is increased considerably as the result of the friction between the bulk material falling into the moving gaps and the surfaces of the labyrinths.

In practice, the above-described relationship between the width of the seals and the width of the planks has dictated operation with particularly high layers of bulk material, which requires correspondingly high drive and ventilation power.

Consequently, on page 2, line 24 the cited document states that the two sealing sections form a “dust seal.” Due to the imprecisely defined nature and quantity of bulk material present in the moving gap, the ventilation through the moving gaps remains uncontrolled and indeterminate.

In other respects, the design described in the Danish patent essentially corresponds to the design of EP 1 475 594 A1 with respect to function, and therefore also has the disadvantages described in conjunction with this document, in particular with regard to the high drive and ventilation power.

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